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Datadog's Strong Product Mix Fuels 27.6% YTD Rally: Time to Buy or Wait?

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Datadog (DDOG - Free Report) has shown remarkable momentum in 2024, with its stock advancing 27.6% year to date, driven by strategic product expansions and a growing market presence in cloud monitoring and security solutions. However, the stock has underperformed the Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s return of 32.4%, raising questions about whether investors should buy in or wait for a better entry point.

Year-to-date Performance

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Product Innovation Drives Market Position

Datadog continues to strengthen its market position through strategic product expansion and innovation. The company recently enhanced its Database Monitoring capabilities to include MongoDB (MDB - Free Report) support, completing coverage of the five most popular database types. This expansion addresses a critical market need by enabling seamless integration between database and application monitoring, potentially reducing troubleshooting time and operational costs for enterprises.

Cloud Infrastructure and AI Integration

At the heart of Datadog's strategy is its ability to provide comprehensive visibility across multi-cloud infrastructures. By integrating deeply with Amazon (AMZN - Free Report) -owned Amazon Web Services, Alphabet (GOOGL - Free Report) -owned Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure, Datadog enables organizations to monitor, analyze and optimize their entire cloud ecosystem from a single platform. This unified approach is particularly valuable as businesses increasingly adopt hybrid and multi-cloud strategies to enhance flexibility and avoid vendor lock-in.

The company's commitment to cloud infrastructure monitoring is evident in its growing Amazon Web Services integration portfolio, now exceeding 100 unique service integrations. Notable additions include monitoring capabilities for AWS Trainium and Inferentia ML chips, alongside integrations with emerging AI services like Amazon Q and Bedrock. This positions Datadog favorably in the rapidly growing AI/ML monitoring space, as evidenced by successful implementations at major clients like AppFolio and Cash App.

Similarly, Datadog's integration with Google Cloud extends across a wide range of services, including Compute Engine, Kubernetes Engine and Cloud SQL. This comprehensive coverage allows customers to maintain visibility and control over their Google Cloud resources within the familiar Datadog interface.

Datadog launched Monitoring for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (“OCI”), enabling Oracle customers to monitor both cloud-native and traditional workloads on OCI with comprehensive telemetry.

Security and Kubernetes Enhancement

Recent launches in security and container orchestration demonstrate Datadog's responsiveness to market demands. The introduction of Kubernetes Active Remediation addresses the growing complexity of container management, while the modern Cloud SIEM approach offers a more accessible and efficient security monitoring solution. These developments reflect the company's understanding of enterprise needs for simplified yet powerful monitoring tools.

Financial Performance and Market Outlook

Datadog's financial trajectory remains robust, with guidance for fourth-quarter 2024 projecting revenues between $709 million and $713 million, suggesting 20-21% year-over-year growth. The full-year 2024 outlook appears promising, with expected revenues between $2.656 billion and $2.660 billion and non-GAAP earnings per share in the range of $1.75-$1.77. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 revenues and earnings is pegged at $2.66 billion and $1.76 per share, respectively. This indicates a year-over-year improvement of 24.9% in the top line and 33.3% in the bottom line. The earnings estimate has moved north by a penny over the past 30 days.

Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.

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DDOG’s Competitive Landscape and Valuation

Datadog operates in a competitive observability and monitoring market, facing rivals like New Relic, Dynatrace and Splunk. While Datadog has differentiated itself through its unified platform and multi-cloud integrations, its competitors also offer robust solutions and have established customer bases. Additionally, tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon have their monitoring tools, potentially posing a threat to DDOG's market share.

Additionally, the company's valuation may be a concern for some investors, as the stock trades at a premium compared to the broader Zacks Internet - Software industry. As of the latest data, Datadog’s forward 12-month P/S ratio hovers around 16.64, reflecting investors' high growth expectations. This valuation is justified by Datadog's strong revenue growth, expanding customer base and increasing product adoption.

DDOG’s P/S F12M Ratio Depicts Stretched Valuation

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Investment Perspective: Hold or Wait?

While Datadog's 27% YTD rally reflects strong market confidence, current valuations suggest investors might benefit from waiting for a better entry point. The company's solid product portfolio and market position are undeniable strengths, but the stock's significant run-up may have priced in much of the near-term growth potential. Investors should monitor for potential market pullbacks that might offer more attractive entry points, particularly given the broader tech sector's volatility.

The combination of robust product development, strategic market positioning and solid financial guidance makes Datadog a compelling long-term investment candidate. However, prudent investors might consider waiting for more favorable valuation levels before initiating or adding to positions. The company's execution in monetizing its expanding product portfolio and maintaining growth momentum will be crucial factors to watch in the coming quarters. DDOG stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.


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